The Webs We Weave
by MusicPlayer81
Summary: The world after Avatar San Ling is on the bring of a world war, and it is up to a new avatar to prevent it from happening. Too bad she's a 13-year-old girl who just made headlines for pushing the Fire Lord's son off a cliff. Prompt from writing-prompt-s..


Earth. It is strong, it is steady. They are naturally even-keeled, and make natural mediators—indeed, Avatar San Ling of the ancient city of Ba Sing Se excelled at the art of diplomacy, even in the face of great change.

I have seen the world change drastically during my service to the White Lotus. This isn't San Ling's, Korra's, or even the esteemed Aang's world anymore. Technology and bending innovations have completely altered how this world operates. There are rumors that the open connection between the Spirit and the Material worlds is being tampered with—things that shouldn't be brought forth are, things that were thought gone alive.

The fact that these developments are coinciding with the imminent return of Sozin's Comet can't be a coincidence, which is why I am convening the other members of the White Lotus. It is time to undertake the sacred ceremony designed for revealing the Avatar's identity.

It is especially crucial that we correctly follow the process; while it was used to reveal San Ling's identity, before that it hadn't been used since the time of Avatar Roku. This is most likely due to the painstaking precision required before the ceremony. The names of all Fire Nation children of appropriate age are gathered, and then narrowed down according to their birth and astrological charts. The names of those who qualify are then baked into perfectly round bread rolls and presented to the head Monk of Air Temple Island. The roll which is chosen bears the name of the next Avatar. This time around, there are 48 names that must be considered. Time is of the essence.

xXxXxXxX

A long night of kneading and baking over, I carefully tied up the rolls in waxen cloth and board the ship to Air Temple Island. The rocky outcrop is unequivocally my favorite place in the Republic; despite the multitude of changes in the world, the island remains virtually untouched by the passage of time. As the ship came closer, a tall man in air bending robes came into focus. Lanky yet powerful, Master Gyatso was every inch the serene air bending master. That is, until he caught sight of me on the balcony of the ship.

"Lan, it's you! Welcome back!" He said, running towards me for a hug, only stopping upon seeing my precious cargo.

"It's so good to see you Gyatso, especially for such an auspicious occasion. These are for you by the way. Or is there someone else I should be giving these to?"

"No I'll take these. Follow me to the main temple, if you will please."

Though I spent my youth on Air Temple Island, the main temple never fails to take my breath away. The pagoda was strung up with delicate paper lanterns, which perfectly illuminated the intricate designs carved into the walls. Tatami mats handwoven by the acolytes lined the cool stone floors. Four airbending masters surrounded a large granite reliquary that featured a large but shallow bowl. At Gyatso's insistence, I delicately placed each of the 48 rolls into the bowl.

"Lan, if you would, please join the rest of the White Lotus members on the mats. I should probably warn you, things are about to get a little breezy in here."

With a flick of his fingers, Gyatso created a gust of wind that sent half the rolls flying out of the reliquary. Gradually each air bending master joined in, creating their own gust of winds until a tornado formed. 24 rolls became 12, 12 became 6. The sun, which had been high in the sky, drifted below the horizon. 6 became 3. Night unfurled its blanket of stars. 3 became one.

Gyatso delicately picked up the remaining roll. Facing the masters and White Lotus members, he triumphantly broke the roll in two. Retrieving the name within, he called out the name of our next Avatar.

"The Honorable Anming Akari is our next avatar!"

I felt the murmurs of my neighbors as they processed the announcement. Surely there must be another…?

"Master Gyatso, I don't mean to question, but are you positive that is what the slip says? It's not Ming or Akano?"

Gyatso arched an eyebrow questioningly at the White Lotus member before handing him the slip. "You can see for yourself, but do I sense disapproval from the White Lotus?"

"What? No, absolutely not Gyatso!" I interjected. "My colleague only asked for clarification because, well, we've been tracking her—her fire bending abilities are formidable—but that's not the reason we're concerned. I am not sure if you heard but her Honor was recently suspended from the Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls for pushing Fire Prince Iroh off a cliff. Now we can't say he didn't deserve it—he has been a bit of a brat ever since he learned how to melt metal using his powers—but he fell and broke his arm severely enough to prevent him from participating in his school's team bending championships."

Gyatso rubbed his temples. "Here is what we'll do. Lan, you and two White Lotus members of your choosing will present artifacts of the old avatars to her Honor. The other White Lotus members will stay to remake the rolls, in case the selection ceremony needs to be repeated. Now to our posts everyone."

As those assembled dispersed, Gyatso caught my hand. "Lan, a word in the garden please?"

xXxXxXxX

The garden was illuminated by delicate paper lanterns that twinkled in time to a set rhythm. The foliage was completely in bloom, the air smelling of sweetness and first loves. In the distance, the soothing thunk of the bamboo mountains could be heard. "My god, nothing changes around here," I remarked. "If I didn't know better, I would think myself a teenager here still."

Gyatso chuckled. "Ah yes, this garden was home to many an escape from our obligations. And if I recall correctly, it was that banyan-like tree over there that was home to our makeout sessions."

"It was until you fell out of the branches and broke your arm. You'd think an air bending could catch themselves when they fall, but clearly that was not the case."

"Airbenders never catch themselves. When we fall, we commit." Gyatso hesitated, and then pressed his forehead to mine. "I wish you didn't have to leave."

I sighed deeply. Gyatso always smelled good—like freshly laundered sheets and bamboo. It was both comforting and highly intoxicating. "You know that duty calls. Surely you of all people can appreciate its importance."

"Of course I do—that doesn't mean I particularly like it though. Besides, I thought earth benders preferred staying rooted in one place?"

"I mean, yes. I, for one, and rather fond of the ancestral home in Gaoling-"

"Be serious Lan! You know full well what I mean. Why can't you make this your home year round? You basically grew up here, and until you started to learn how to metal bend you undertook both earth bending and Air Acolyte lessons. Why wouldn't you move in? We have room for you to practice, it's close to your day job in Republic City, and whatever we don't have can easily be brought in for you."

"An earth bender on Air Temple Island? That's not compatible. We're not compatible."

"I believe there's an eight year old with her mother's long black hair and piercing gaze that speaks to the opposite. An eight year old, might I add, that you have not asked about once this entire time. Did she even cross your mind?"

I quickly broke away from our embrance. "Of course she crossed my mind! She's always present in my thoughts, I agreed to join the White Lotus because of her! And I didn't need to ask Airhead since I called her this morning to see how her training camp at the Northern Air Temple is going!"

Gyatso sheepishly kicked a stray pebble in response. I gathered myself.

"I am the 7th great granddaughter of Lin Beifong, daughter of Toph Beifong. I am the primary heiress of the Gaoling estate, officer of the White Lotus, and when that isn't eating up my time, I'm Lieutenant of the Metalbending Police Force. All of these roles require freedom, a freedom that would be denied to me if I were to settle down and play consort!"

Gyatso straightened up. "Is that what this is all about?"

"Of course it is, it always is! We aren't in the heady flush of our youth anymore Gyatso, and haven't been ever since the birth of our daughter. We may have been able to delay some requirements due to our young ascendancy into parenthood, but it is impossible to forsake the roles we are meant to fulfill."

"Do those roles include being a mother to our daughter?"

"She doesn't need me. From the minute she opened her beautiful grey eyes I knew that I would be superfluous. She needs you far more than she will ever need me."

"For some things, perhaps. But a child needs their mother, and I need the love of my life."

My breath caught in my throat. I thought my time away had cured me of this, this love, this heartache.

Without thinking, I took his hand and leaned my head against his shoulder as he traversed a path we both knew so well.

xXxXxXxX

I woke to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. Dappled sunlight illuminated the room, but even in the dark of night I knew exactly how the room looked. Plastered grey wells, unadorned, met light bamboo floors covered in tatami mats. Since Gyatso's room was the farthest room down, three of its walls featured windows to take advantage of the wind currents and the stunning ocean views. Not a bad way to wake up, especially with a shirtless and rather built Airbender as a bed warmer.

I gently excised myself from Gyatso's hold and moved quietly towards my drawer in the dresser. I quickly chose some loose pants, clean tops, fabric bindings, and a pair of flats in case of rugged terrain. Though admittedly the clothing doesn't matter anyways; since I'll be in the Fire Nation on official business, I'll really only need my uniform.

"You earthbenders are nowhere near as subtle as you think. Spirits, I could probably hear your lumbering gait from across the island!"

"We can't all be light on our feet, twinkletoes!" I replied, throwing a pillow towards him that he deftly caught.

"No, but then again, we can't all head a special envoy to the Fire Nation, now can we?" I could feel his arms, his strong, strong arms, pull me back into bed. "Why do you always end up leaving," he breathed in between neck kisses. "I really wish you would stay."

I shifted myself to face him. "Sweetheart," I said hesitantly, caressing his face. "I basically grew up here, what with my mom constantly away on official business and all. I know the culture, and its emphasis on selflessness, and I have to tell you Gyatso I am too selfish to give up my ambitions. I am not your mother, constantly tending to the children and organizing conventions. I'm nowhere near Blessed Mother Pema, the woman who bore the first airbenders of the modern era. I'm a Beifong, a creature of this world, of this earth—I can't possibly isolate myself from that."

"Can I say something?"

"Of course, although I'm not sure what you'll accomplish by doing so."

"Do you honestly think I want a Blessed Pema as a consort? If that had been the case I would have married someone like timid Jetsun a long time ago!" He laughed, but quickly collected himself upon seeing my unamused reaction. "Sure my parents would like to see me take a quiet and dutiful Airbender or acolyte as my partner, but that's not what I want. I want someone who is fierce, intelligent, and unwilling to compromise her morals. A woman with a reverence for tradition but an eye towards the future. A woman who is stubborn and frustrating and my complement in virtually every way. I want you, Lan Beifong, as my rock through both the good and the bad."

I stood up to face Gyatso. "Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me as an officer on my envoy. You said I could choose two officers to take with me. I choose you. Oh, and Chun Li. Her wife is getting shore leave at Ember Island, and will probably end up becoming the new avatar's training coach."

Gyatso silently rolled over, only to pull out a neatly packed canvas bag from under the bed. "I thought you would never ask."


End file.
